It's no wonder that George Clooney spends so much time in Lake Como, Italy -- not only is it beautiful, but he probably doesn't have to deal nearly as much with the pesky paparazzi. It would appear that the bigger celebrities in Italy are fashion designers. I was just reading the other day that Giorgio Armani has been nominated for the Italian senate (nominated by Parliament member Santo Versace, brother of the late designer Gianni Versace).
Senator Armani?
Here in the US, we do love our celebrities. But usually, it's our actors/athletes/rock stars that grab the attention of the papparazzi and the gossip magazines -- we just can't wait to hear about Jennifer Aniston's latest failed relationship and Brad and Angie's latest pregnancy. And we love to glorify our celebs, too -- we support them when they run for public office (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Ronald Reagan, and even Gopher from the Love Boat) and we flock to their nightclubs and restaurants (Bruce Willis, Johnny Depp, Michael Jordan, Jay-Z). But the public figures that don't have celebrity status are our designers. Calvin Klein doesn't appear to be running for office any time soon and Marc Jacobs isn't about to launch into the club/restaurant scene (at least not here in the US).
In addition to the Armani news, I was flipping through the latest issue of Elle and came across pictures of Roberto Cavalli's new decadent over-the-top nightclub/restaurant/boutique in Dubai. He already has one in Florence and currently has one in the works in Milan.
Would a designer-owned nightclub like this exist in the US? And, if so, would it be popular?
Roberto Cavalli. The European Billy Dec?
I think it will come as no surprise that I would much rather hang out in a club/restaurant owned by Roberto Cavalli than one owned by a pack of actors. When you consider the fact that a large percentage of men in the US wear baseball caps on a regular basis and that most of the women in Hollywood can't get dressed in the morning without the help of a personal stylist, it really should come as no surprise that our designers aren't glorified celebs. Sadly, fashion just doesn't seem to be as important here as it is in Europe (and many other parts of the world, as well). I don't mean to criticize but, frankly, I think most people in this country look like crap. It is so much nicer to walk down the streets and see well-groomed, well-dressed person after well-groomed, well-dressed person. Unfortunately I don't get that a lot in my daily commute (although, I can ALWAYS count on Arlene, bless her heart).
I'm off on a tangent, but it's interesting, don't you think? I don't know about you but I'd be happy to join Mr. Clooney in Italy, where the senate is composed of Armanis and Versaces and the nightclubs are owned by Cavallis. Sounds like a whole lot o' fashionable fun, if you ask me!
Armani photo taken from fanpix.net; Cavalli nightclub images scanned from Elle Magazine.
No Comments
Leave a Comment?
What your comment will look like:
said: